Industrial truck



w. w. CUSHMAN 2,668,602

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Feb. 9, 1954 Filed NOV. 17, 1952 IN VENTOR Cuskzzzma W a ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 9, 1954 UNITED QFFICE.

INDUSTRIAL TRUGK WaltomW.-Gushman,WhhGity Mo.

AppucatimrNovember 17; 1952, Serial Na. 321,6 6-

(cli let-9);

The invention described herein; if patented, be manufactured. and; used; by or for-the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment. tome of any royalty thereon.

invention relates to: improvements, in industrial trucks of the-forklift, type A main limiting factorin the load carrying capacity of" fork-lift trucks: resides in. the loca tion: of, the lifting carriage and rforks as well as, the vertical frame or mastupon which the arriage: travels, relative to the front; wheels; of truck; When,v the loadplaced upon the lifting forks; ontines: and the carriage is elerated thetruck tends to pivot or upset about the front wheels; which: act a -fulcrum. For thisreason, it is always: desirable to:- mount; the vertical mast and lifting carriage as.- close: to, the frontwheel axle astpossible, inorderto: reonce to a minimum the moment; BhQl-li'ggbh; front wheels of th truck prod ced wh n th load; raised. For a forte-lift truclrof a-g-iven capacity andv we t t w u d be; po s b e t n rea t lifting capacity a1considerableamountysueh asfitom" l5 1:020 p cent-by e ely-smiths: hetieaimast and ft nsicarriase ear a ly t w rd" t fro t. x e f he: t uth y: r ittle as an: ma kand a alt; o he ik his how v r, can? not normally be accomplished; since the, con struct on of th ve t cally s fit ble ftine'carriageis suchthat; it must be arranged; forwardly: of the frontwheels oat the-truck: i..I1"" r .E 1l 1 1831 the front wheels; when'the carriage isgifullnlow-- ered; Accordingly, the present practieeis to. no

sition' the. vertical mast or frame. soas to: bring,

thegliftingcarriageasclose to the forward oi the front wheels as possible the oar riage-is fully. lowered andtyetprovide some clear ance between the wheels and carriage With this, conventional, arrangement the, carriage and forks are still a considerabledistance forwardly of. the frontakle; of the truck and. cons siderable tendency: fertile-truck to, pivotor upset about. itsfnont. wheels. reduced by the load upon the lifting for-list A primary. ohjeetofthepresent mvention ta provide a fork-lift, truck having. a, greater load; lifting capacity thanconventional trucks of the same-type and weight; w

A further: object-is to provide a-ftork-lifit truek wherein the vertical mast and the lifting carriage which travels along the mast are arranged; nearer, the front; axle the trucls than. -is the usual practice-, the,- liftingcarriage being; con structed so as not to interfere with the front Wheels of the truck when in the fully lowered pd'siti'di'l. I

A. further object is, to? provide a lifting carriage for fork-lift trucks which may be arranged closer to the frontl axle of. the truck. without i' nterfer ence the front wheels, and without sacrifi'cing any or the normal lateral adjustabilityoif the lifting: forks ortines.

A still further object of the invention is to providev a fork-lift; truck oi increased; liftingcapacity without material'lyv increa ing the costof construction: or sacrificing any of the norm l utility of. thie trima Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apnarjentdurihg, thecourse of the follow! ing description.

In the-accompanyin drawingslforminga part of this. application, and. in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,- 7

Figure 1 is-a fragmentary perspective viewofafork-lift truck embodying my invention;

Figure 2.. a fragmentary front elevation; of the same,

Figure 3. is; a longitudinal vertical section on line. 3 3= of Figure 2,. and,

Figures a: fragmentary plan view ofpartsl oi he ru h-1 Inythedrawin'gs: where for the purpose of 'i-l lustr'ation; is shown a: preferred" embodiment as the invention, the numeral l0 designates generally a fork-lift trueuhavm'gfront; wheeis H5, journaled upon after-1t} transverse axle P2. The usual up; right frame 017 mast f3 is provided, and this mast T3" is arranged slightly forwardly of: the front axle. I2}. although closer. to the from; axle than is the case in. mostc'onventional fork-lift trucks. [,3 comprises the: usual sets-of telescoping channels or. guides l4- and; t5, and supporting. elements or bearings 16; arerigid-ly secured to the outer channels I4 near andabovethe tops of the front wheels- LL as shown. The

bearings 1'6, p-ijvotal'lyreceive trunnion-s- II, in;

turn rigidly. secured to the body; 19935121011011 the; uck UL trunnionst II-and bearings I36; constitute the pp rt n -means forthemast i3 and also providemeanslfor tilting the mast-in a.-

:2 pair of vertically disposed T-shaped members I8 or carriage sections, arranged slightly inwardly of the sides of the mast I3 and having their longitudinal vertical webs I9 arranged opposite the open sides of the telescoping channels I4 and I5, Figure 4. Near their upper and lower ends, the webs I9 have shafts 28 rigidly secured thereto, and guide rollers 2| are journaled upon the outer ends of the shafts 28 and. disposed within the inner channels I5 of the mast I3 for rolling engagement therewith. The forward transverse vertical webs 22 of the T-shaped carriage sections I8 are arranged slightly forwardly of the outer channels I4, as shown, and apertured lugs 23 are preferably formed integral with the webs I9 and 22 at the inner sides of the merribers I8 and near the vertical centers of the same.

integrally secured to the rear sides of the heads 35, Figures 3, and the depending extensions 36 'extend'over the rear face of the top rail 28, for

detachably securing the lifting forks 33 to the vertically movable carriage of the truck. In ef- The apertured lugs 23 receive clevis bolts 24 or 3 the like, provided upon their lower ends with nuts 7 25, arranged below the lugs 23. Above the lugs 23, the clevis bolts 24 are secured as at 26 to the lower ends of vertical sprocket chains 27, which operate between the sides of the mast l3 in the usual manner for raising and lowering the lifting carriage along the mast I3.

The lifting carriage further comprises an upper horizontal bar or rail 28, having its upper edge spaced somewhat above the tops of the T-shaped members l8, and rigidly bolted to the forward webs 22 of the T-shaped members by means of countersunk bolts 29. The length of the upper rail 28 is such that its opposite ends terminate near the transverse centers of the front wheels II, and when the lifting carriage is fully lowered, as shown in the drawings, the ends of the top rail 28 are arranged forwardly of the front wheels II and overlap the front wheels laterally, as shown inFigure 2.

When the carriage is fully lowered, the top rail 28 is diposed above the front axle I2 and does not pass the forward sides of the front wheels and interfere therewith. In order that the mast I3 and load-lifting carriage may be located as close to the front axle I2 as possible, the end portions of the top rail 28 adjacent to the front wheels Il may be cutaway ornotched at the rear side of the top rail, as indicated at 30. The notches 38 may be omitted if desired, without sacrificing any considerable amount of the advantage gained by the location of the mast I3 and lifting carriage nearer the front axle I2.

The lifting carriage further comprises a lower transverse bar or rail 3|, similar to the top rail 28 but shorter than the top rail so that its opposite ends 3| are' arranged inwardly of the front wheels II as best shown in Figure 2. The lower carriage rail 3| is spaced vertically below the top rail 28, and is rigidly secured to the forward transverse webs 22 of the members I8 by counter sunk bolts 32. The arrangement is such that when the vertically movablelifting carriage is fully lowered, as shown in the drawings, the shortened lower rail 3| of the carriage passes between the front wheels II and does not interfere with the same. If the lower rail 3| was of the same length as'the top rail 28, the lower rail would strike the forward sides of the front wheels II, and the carriage could not be fully lowered, with the mast I3 located as close to the front axle I2 as is the case in my improved construction.

L-shaped lifting forks 33 are adjustably mounted upon the vertically movable lifting carriage,

' fect, the forks 33 are suspended from the top rail .28 and 3|. The forks 33 also include forwardly extending horizontal tines 31, preferably formed integral with the vertical bars 34, as shown, and adapted to contact the floor in front of the truck. I0 when the lifting carriage is fully lowered.

The lengthof the top rail 28 is such that the two L-shaped forks 33 may be adjusted laterally a desiredamount. To facilitate adjusting'the forks 33 laterally, and releasably holding the same in selected adjusted positions, the top rail 28 is preferably provided in its upper horizontal edge with a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings 38, adapted to receive 'the'lower ends of vertical adjusting screws 39, received within vertical screw-threaded openings in the heads 35. The screws 39 and openings 38 serve to positively hold the lifting forks 33 inthe selected laterally adjusted positions, but the adjusting screws may be omitted entirely if desired. When a load is placed upon the tines 31 0f the lifting forks, the lower ends of the vertical bars 34 react against the lower rail 3|, and it is necessary that the bars 34 bear against-the lower rail in all laterally adjusted positions of the forks 33. With the lower rail 3| foreshortened as previously described, -the vertical bars 34 are shifted beyond the ends of the lower rail 3| when the forks 33 are laterally spaced apart the maximum possible distance, as defined by the length of the top rail 28. To insure a continuous bearingof the forks 33 against the lower rail 3| in the outermost adjusted positions of the forks, I form upon one vertical bar 34' a substantially V-shaped bearing extension 40, preferably formed integral with the bar' 34 near the lower end of the same and adjacent to the lower rail 3|. The V-shaped extension 40 has its rear vertical face flush with the rear face of the verticalbar 34 carrying it, for sliding engagement with the front face of the lower 'rail 3|. A companion interfitting bearing extension 4| is integrally formed upon the inner side of the other vertical bar 34 near the lower end of the same, and adjacent to the lower rail 3 l. The rear face of the bearing extension 4| is also flush with the rear face ,of the bar 34 carrying it, for sliding engagement with the lower rail 3|. The extension 4| has a V-shaped notch 42 formed in its inner end, for receiving the V-shaped bearing extension 40, and permitting interfitting engagement of the bearing extensions 4|] and 4|, when the forks 33 are adjusted inwardly. g

With the described arrangementthe forks 33 maybe shifted laterally inwardly for the desired distance by'virtu'e' of tnemtemtting engage merit of the bearing extensionsreane 41*. Also, the forks may be shifted laterallyeiitwardl-y to the ends of the top rail 28, without the loss of bearing between the forks, and lower rail 3|. This is true, since the bEaringext-ensionslit and AI will continue. to bear against the forward face of the lower rail 3|, after the vertical bars 34 have moved beyond the ends of the fores'hor'tened lower fail if.

It is thus seen that the described arrangement permits shifting the mast 3| and vertically moving carriage closer to the front axle l2, and thereby materially increasing the load lifting capacity of the truck, without increasing its weight or sacrificing any of the adjustability of the lifting forks 33. The arrangement is highly simplified and compact, and does not add materially to the cost of the industrial truck or sacrifice any of its utility in the performing of a wide variety of material handling operations. By shifting the mast I3 and associated elements slightly nearer the front axle l2, the tendency for the truck to pivot or upset about the front wheels I I, under the influence of a given load is materially reduced, and I have found that the load lifting capacity of the truck may be increased as much as to percent by shifting the mast l3 as little as an inch to an inch and one-half closer to the axle 12.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention, herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In a fork-lift truck having front wheels and an upright mast arranged between the front wheels, a carriage connected with the upright mast for movement therealong and including upper and lower transverse bars, the lower transverse bar of the carriage being shorter than the upper bar and adapted to pass between the front wheels of the truck rearwardly of their forward peripheral parts when the carriage is fully lowered, and lifting forks mounted upon the carriage and shiftable laterally thereof to selected adjusted positions, the lifting forks having inwardly directed bearing extensions which engage the lower bar of the carriage and react thereagainst when the lifting forks are shifted to the outer ends of the upper bar of the carriage.

2. In an industrial truck having front wheels and a substantially vertical mast arranged between the front wheels, a substantially vertical carriage connected with the mast for movement thereon, the carriage having a top relatively wide portion and a bottom relatively narrow portion, the relatively narrow portion of the carriage passing between the front wheels of the truck rearwardly of their forward peripheral parts when the carriage is fully lowered, a pair of lifting forks carried by the carriage and movable transversely thereof throughout substantially the entire width of said top relatively wide portion, and interfitting bearing extensions secured to the lifting forks and overlapping the forward side of said bottom relatively narrow portion of the carriage, the bearing extensions engaging the relatively narrow portion when the lifting forks are shifted to the outer ends of said relatively wide portion of the carriage.

3. In an industrial truck having front wheels mean-upright mast arranges-between theiror t wheels, a" carriagefor movement longitudihally of the mastandhavingan upperpart widerthan the space betweenythe frorrt wheels-and a lower part narrowerthan the space betweeiithefi-ont wheels and adaptedtopa'ss between the wheels when the carriage is lowered, a pair of lifting elements including substantially; vertical parts having sliding engagement with said up er part of the carriage and adjustable laterally of the carriage for substantially the entire width of said upper part, the vertical parts of the lifting elements passing beyond the ends of said lower part of the carriage when the lifting elements are arranged near the ends of said upper part of the carriage, and interfitting lateral extensions secured to the vertical parts of the lifting elements forwardly of said lower part of the carriage and adapted to bear against said lower part when the lifting elements are fully separated, the interfitting extensions permitting the lifting elements to be shifted together and arranged near the transverse center of the carriage.

4. In an industrial truck having front wheels and an upright mast arranged between the front wheels and somewhat rearwardly of their leading edges, a carriage connected with the upright mast for movement therealong and including an upper relatively long transverse rail and a lower relatively short transverse rail spaced below the upper rail, the lower relatively short rail passing between the front wheels of the truck rearwardly of their leading edges when the carriage is fully lowered, the upper relatively long rail being longer than the space between the front wheels and remaining beyond the peripheries of the front wheels in all adjusted positions of the carriage, substantially L-shaped lifting forks connected with the carriage and including vertical parts which slidably engage the forward faces of the upper and lower rails, the lifting forks being adjustable transversely of the carriage to positions near the outer ends of the upper relatively long rail, the vertical parts of the L-shaped lifting forks then being disposed beyond the ends of the relatively short lower rail, a lateral extension secured to the inner side of the vertical part of one L-shaped lifting fork and adapted to bear against the forward face of the lower. rail and provided in its inner end with a recess, and a tapered extension secured to the inner side of the vertical part of the other L-shaped lifting fork and adapted to bear against the forward face of the lower rail and entering the recess of the firstnamed extension when the lifting forks are in their innermost adjusted positions.

5. In an industrial truck having front wheels and an upright mast arranged between the front wheels, a substantially vertical carriage connected with the mast for movement thereon and having a top relatively wide part incapable of passing between the front wheels and a bottom relatively narrow part adapted to pass between the front wheels when the carriage is fully lowered, said top and bottom parts of the carriage having forward bearing surfaces arranged in substantially the same vertical plane, a pair of substantially L-shaped lifting forks suspended from the top relatively wide part of the carriage and bearing against the forward bearing surface of the bottom carriage part, a transverse extension secured to the inner side of one lifting fork adjacent to the bottom carriage part and having a V- shaped notch formed therein, the extension bearing against the forward bearing surface of the mama 7 bottom carriage part when the lifting fork haythe lifting fork having the V-shaped extension ing said transverse extension is shifted beyond is shifted beyond the other end of said bottom one end of the bottom carriage part, and a transcarriage part. 7

verse V-shaped extension secured to the inner WALTON W. CUSHMAN. side of the other lifting fork adjacent to the 5 bottom carriage part and entering the V-shaped Referellcfis Cited In the file Of s Patent notch of the first-named extension when the lift- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing forks are adjusted laterally inwardly, the V- shaped extension bearing against the forward 2 642 157 bearing surface of the bottom carriage part when 10 Number Name Date Milz June 16, 1953 

